The Economist

Kenya and Britain: Drawing a line under history

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Posted by admin 5 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

A long wait for the Mau Mau INDEPENDENCE songs were sung, antique walking sticks were waved and Britain’s representative in Kenya gamely ventured some words in Swahili to express his regret that Kenyans had been tortured during the Mau Mau uprising against colonial rule in the 1950s. As Britain made a carefully calibrated climbdown over colonial-era abuses on June 6th, none of those words was t

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The Central African Republic: A new grey zone

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Posted by admin 5 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

Not so safe with Seleka THE long-troubled Central African Republic is drifting deeper into crisis under an unruly band of rebels whose coup in March ended President François Bozizé’s decade of rule. Seleka, the rebel alliance, is struggling with dissent in its ranks, has gravely abused human rights and has aroused tension between Christians and Muslims. Humanitarian groups are calling for a mor

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Syrian refugees in Turkey: Will they ever go home?

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Posted by admin 5 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

EVERY so often Leila Bitar slips out of Altinozu Camp and across the border from Turkey into Syria to visit the grave of her son. A 30-year-old fighter in the Free Syrian Army, he died in battle eight months ago in Latakia, in north-west Syria. Leila unzips a little pink purse attached to her belt and fishes out a passport photograph of a young man. Two of her seven remaining children are fightin

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Democratic Republic of Congo: Bigger guns are on their way

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Posted by admin 5 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

THE first stretch of road seen by new UN troops in Congo after their arrival at the airport in Goma, the country’s second-biggest city, is a stark indicator of what lies ahead. The road—a rare bit of tarmac—was the site of a stunning victory not long ago by Tutsi fighters opposed to central rule. Heavily armed, they swept down from volcanic hills late last year to the shallow shores of Lake Kivu

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Syria’s civil war: The regime digs in

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Posted by admin 5 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

“YA GHALI,” says a driver greeting the soldier manning a checkpoint of concrete blocks painted with the Syrian flag and plastered with pictures of Bashar Assad in regime-controlled central Damascus. This salutation was never in use in the capital before the war but is now standard at checkpoints. “Ghali”, or precious, is used in the coastal homeland of the Alawites, the sect from which Mr Assa

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Libya’s government and the militias: Is the tide turning?

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Posted by admin 5 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

Battling for the soul of Benghazi THE scavengers for disused metal fled, as riot police wearing their old Qaddafi-era uniforms drove back into their old base after recovering it from one of Libya’s most powerful Islamist militias, Libyan Shield Number One. “It’s good to be back,” said the police commander after the battle on June 8th, which left 35 Libyans dead.Despite declaring three days of m

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Iran’s election and the internet: Behind a thick curtain

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Posted by admin 5 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

AFTER a string of strong performances on the world stage in recent years, Iran’s national kick-boxing team has had to drop out of an international championship in Greece this month. The Greek embassy in Tehran, citing “communications disruptions in Iran”, said that poor internet connectivity, which has drastically slowed down in the run-up to the presidential election on June 14th, was to blame.

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Libya’s oil: Gurgle and splutter

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Posted by admin 12 days ago (http://www.economist.com)

BOTH sides in Libya’s civil war knew they would need to sell oil again fast once the conflict was over. So for the most part they took care not to ruin the energy infrastructure. For example, while fierce fighting was devastating the western town of Zawiya, the large oil refinery to its north lay idle but untouched by war, its workers still able to have lunch in the canteen.By mid-2012, less t